Fluid propeller

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for propelling any type of liquids which comprises in a container at least one motor shaft and one essentially central entry constituted by at least one entry collector having the shape of a hollow cylinder including one opening at one side and a bottom essentially closed on the other side, and holes disposed in at least one row concentric to the motor shaft in which are fixed a plurality of conduits preferably individual and closed, except at their extremities. The space or inner volume of one whole single row of conduits occupies a space or volume inferior to 33% of the space or volume comprised between two surfaces located tangentially to and fro of the conduits of the aforesaid row of conduits, and delimited by the peripheral extremities of the latter, excluding the space or volume of said hollow cylinder comprised between two aforesaid surfaces, and wherein said cylinder occupies a space or volume approximately equal to the space or volume of the row of conduits.

United States Patent Risse 1 May 28, 1974 FLUID PROPELLER Primary Examiner-Billy J. Wilhite [75] Inventor: Jean Risse, Grand Duchy of Ass'smm Exammerillhlhp Coe Luxembourg, Luxembourg Attorney, Agent, or Izrm-John J. Dennemeyer [73] Assignee: Colortex S.A., Luxembourg City, 57 ABSTRACT Luxembourg A l pparatus for propelling any type of liquids which [22] Filed: Mar. 9, 1972 comprises in a container at least one motor shaft and one essentially central entry constituted by at least [21 1 Appl' 233268 one entry collector having the shape of a hollow cylinder including one opening at one side and a bottom [30] Foreign Application Priority Data essentially closed on the other side, and holes disposed Mar. 15, 1971 Luxembourg 62793 in at least one row concentric to the motor shaft in Oct. 5, Luxembourg N 64009 which are fixed a plurality of conduits preferably individual and closed, except at their extremities. The 52 us. Cl. 259/8, 259/95 Space or inner volume of one Whole single row of 51 rm. Cl B0lf 5/10 duits occupies a Space or volume inferior to 33% of [58] Field of Search 259/95, 96, 8, 97, 7, 23, the Space Or volume Comprised between two surfaces 259 24 4 44 located tangentially to and fro of the conduits of the aforesaid row of conduits, and delimited by the pe- 5 References Cited ripheral extremities of the latter, excluding the space UNITED STATES PATENTS or volume of said hollow cylinder comprised between two aforesaid surfaces, and wherein said cylinder oclszuble 2 5 cupies a space or volume approximately equal to the 1,791170'5 2 1931 BZlIEfTTTIIII In 259/96 ux Space or volume of the row of Conduits 11 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures miminmvza m V 3.813083 sum 2 (If a FLUID PROPELLER The invention relates to an apparatus used to propel any type of fluids to effect agitation, stirring mixing, dissolving, emulsifying, dispersing, milling or propulsion of liquid, gaseous or other products.

The known apparatus of this type are immersed while rotating in the material to be treated and produce an agitation, a mixing etc, by ejection of the material from the machine circumference against the ambiant material, and this is done in more or less satisfactory and undetermined conditions.

To obtain an agitation, a mixing etc, better and optimal, it would be necessary to produce new machines which would effect a well conditioned acceleration, maximal and uniform, of the ejected material.

In order to reach maximum acceleration, it would be necessary, for an apparatus with a given diameter, that the acceleration path be as long as possible, that is to say that acceleration should commence as close as possible to the center of the apparatus. In order to produce a uniform acceleration, that is to say a uniform ejection speed of all the particles of the ejected material, it would be necessary to make sure that all the particles travel the same length of acceleration path and that all said particles could be accelerated without interference of the disturbances induced by the inevitable backwash of ambiant material in the midst of which the said acceleration occurs.

In other words, all particles should start their acceleration path at the same point, and said particles should be uniformly accelerated and without disturbances up to the machine circumference where they are ejected to strike the ambiant material, in order to obtain the optimal treatment desired.

The object of the invention is to build a fluid propeller which combines all said advantages.

According to the invention the apparatus used to propel fluids comprises an entry collector in the shape of a hollow cylinder provided with an opening on one side and a bottom preferably closed on the other side and on its periphery at least one row of holes in or volume are affixed conduits with two open ends, of which those affixed in the openings provide communication between the cylinder inner space and the peripheral extremity of each conduit, while the space or the total inner volume of only one row of conduits occupies a space or inner volume less than 33 percent of the space or volume which is generated by two planes essentially perpendicular to the motor shaft and disposed directly above and underneath the aforesaid row of conduits, with the exception of the space or volume generated by the cylinder, the latter occupies a space orvolume approximately equal to the space or volume of the row of conduits.

In said apparatus acceleration of the material to be treated essentially begins at the center of the apparatus; designated propeller in the following description. The acceleration is realized in the very midst of the material and is not disturbed by any swirling of the material.

The conduits procure a uniform acceleration of each particle of the thin streaks flowing in the conduits. This provides a maximal acceleration of the streaks which travel the longest possible acceleration path. The conduits may be enclosed between plates having smooth outer surfaces which glide and present the smallest resistance to the propeller rotation in the ambiant material. The propeller converts practically all of the motor energy into acceleration energy of uniform and optimum speed streaks, that is to say provide an optimalized yield of the motor power and allows the use of a low unit power.

Experimentation has shown that one could eliminate the outer smooth plates so as to make the propeller construction cheaper while compensating the increase of power by a reduction on the one hand of the total internal volume of the conduits and, on the other hand, by predetermining the propeller tank diameter ratio and the rotation speed.

The preferred embodiment of the invention will be described hereafter with reference to the annexed drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is perspective representation of one mode of execution of the fluid propeller according to the inventron.

FIG. 1/ 1 illustrates an absolutely central entry, both from the top as well as from the bottom, the bottom of the collector not being closed.

FIG. 2 illustrates another fluid propeller in a container.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate further embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partially broken-away, of a propeller according to FIG. 1 but provided with two plates to make it sealed.

FIG. 6 is a modification of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a two-plate propeller with several modifications to form the conduits.

FIG. 8 illustrates two double plate propellers fixed on a single shaft.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view representing a propeller according to FIG. 4, sealed in a container.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of a propeller with four sealed plates in which the feeding is effected from the bottom.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic view of a four sealed plate propeller in which the feeding is effected from the top.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic view of a sealed four plate propeller fed simultaneously from the bottom and the top.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are a diagrammatic representation of a propeller in a sealed container in which the feeding is effected from the top, respectively the bottom.

FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus having two series of four rectangular plates.

FIG. 16 is a view of a propeller operating axially, with several modifications to form the conduits.

FIG. 17 illustrates a propeller according to FIG. 1 combined with an axial ejection embodiment according to FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a modification of FIG. 17 with axial ejection through straight conduits.

In FIG. 1 a rotating motor shaft 10 is fixed to a hollow cylinder 12 forming the entry collector. This collector 12 comprises on the lower part of its wall one row of holes in which conduits 15 of any suitable shape are permanently fixed. The conduits 15 are open at both their extremities and the extremities fixed to the holes provide communication from the inner space of cylinder 12 with the conduits 15. If necessary it is possible to connect the outer extremity of conduits 15 to a reinforcement circle 20. The entire device, including the entry collector and the conduits, is positioned in a container (not represented) containing the material to be treated.

In FIG. 1/ l is represented an embodiment of the entry collector which procures an absolutely central access to the material entering from two of the motor axes.

In FIG. 2 the propeller also includes a motor shaft 10 connected, for example, to the bottom of cylinder 12 forming an inlet collector. In said embodiment several rows of conduits 15 are positioned on the outer periphery of cylinder 12. The propeller is disposed in a container 16 containing the material to be treated.

The embodiment according to FIG. 3 is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1. However, in FIG. 3 the motor shaft 10 is fixed to the upper closed cylinder end 12 constituting the entry collector. In this embodiment the conduits 15 are fixed to the cylinder 12 near its top end and cylinder 12 is open at its lower end. Access of material is absolutely central.

According to FIG. 4 the propeller comprises two entry collectors formed by a cylinder 12a with a bottom 13 positioned between the two cylinder ends. The motor shaft is connected to bottom 13. Both ends of cylinder 12a are open to form a top and bottom entry collector. Each entry collector comprises one row of conduits 15a, respectively 15!).

As represented in FIG. 5 at A, one may position an upper plate 21 and a lower plate 22 on, respectively under, the conduits 15. In this case the intervals between the conduits 15 are sealed and hollow. However, it is also possible to use a solid plate 23 comprising grooves to form the conduits 15, as represented at B of FIG. 5. In the latter case the intervals between the conduits are sealed and solid.

F IG. 6 represents an embodiment in which the holes in the cylinder 12 emerge from the side of said cylinder at least partially outside of thespace or volume occupied by a plate 25. In said embodiment the conduits 15 have one open side and are constituted by radial channels formed in the surface of upper plate 25. The radial channels are aligned with the holes of cylinder 12. This embodimentmay be useful to operate with milling bodies.

FIG. 7 illustrates on a double plate propeller various conduit configurations formed by apposition between the two plates of solid or hollow sections, designated as coffers, of varied shapes such as for example: triangular or rectangular truncated prism of coffers with helical 8 lateral surfaces: when leaving a space between two adjacent coffers square channels 14 or round channels 15 which are formed parallel or narrow down toward the disc periphery.

Vanes 16a may be positioned in the entry collector.

The coffers may be formed solid and sealed against entry of the material to be treated, or hollow and sealed. In the latter case they form a buoy lifting the propeller even to the extent that propellers of appropriate dimensions may develop a lifting force capable of even supporting the propeller operating means.

FIG. 8 illustrates two propellers, separately fixed on the same shaft to which they are attached by a muff 17 which may serve as additional buoy.

Obviously in the embodiments according to FIG. 2, 3 and 4, the conduits may be formed in the manner represented in FIGS. 5 and 6, or the conduits of FIGS.

2, 3 and 4 may be fixed at their outer extremities to a reinforcement ring, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

According to FIG. 9 a propeller similar to FIG. 4 is positioned in a container.

In FIG. 10 a propeller with 4 rows or 4 plates is positioned in an open container with two entries and two outlets with a bottom entry collector.

FIGS. 11 and FIG. 12 are similar to FIG. 10. How ever, the collector is open at the top in FIG. 11 while it is open from the bottom for two plates and from the top for the two others in FIG. 12.

In FIG. 13 and 14, the containers are closed except for the inlets and outlets.

Furthermore, in FIG. 14 is represented a direct injection nozzle of material into the collector, and in FIG. 12, an endless screw preferably static. Both these means represent a second motor axis for creating acceleration of the material in the conduits, by injection of compressed air, vapor or gas, or the mechanical action of a screw.

The design embodiments of the propellers defined hereinabove effecting radial ejection may also be constructed to procure axialejection.

For example in FIG. 16 shaft 10 is connected at least to a cylinder 2a which has the same function as the plates 2, FIG. 7. Several coffers 4, 5 are fixed to the revolution surface of each cylinder hollow or solid, sealed or not, to form axial conduits similar to the radial conduits of the embodiments described above. The coffers have similar shapes as those described heretofore: they may be rectangular as at 4, or helical as at 5, etc.

A second cylinder 3a, which has the same function as plate 3, FIG. 7, is positioned with its inner surface on the coffers to form the axial conduits, closed except at their extremities. Several concentric rows of conduits may be assembled on a single propeller.

The second cylinder may project to a higher level than the first cylinder to form the inlet collector.

It will be understood that this embodiment may be executed by taking as a starting point FIG. 5 and imagining that the two plates with their conduits are lowered so as to position them, no longer perpendicularly to the axis of shaft 10, but at an other angle and, for example, parallel to this shaft.

This embodiment is therefore based on the same principles as the previously described embodiments: the same execution particularities are applicable thereto.

Furthermore, this embodiment effecting axial ejection of the material, may be combined with one of the radial ejection embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18, to jointly effect radial and axial ejection.

It is also possible to combine, in one same container, several apparatus with multiple conduits. The plates may have a shape other than circular, for example rectangular, as illustrated at FIG. 15. These rectangular plates may be positioned to procure special effects, e.g., rotate in the same or in opposite directions.

The outer faces of plates 21 and 22, as well as all the outer surfaces making contact with material to be treated, are made as smooth as possible in order to have as low as possible a friction coefficient.

Furthermore, the ejection conduits may be provided at their outlet with a deflector, (not shown), which deviates the ejected material in a direction other than the axis of the ejection conduits.

Rotated in a material to be treated, the radial ejection propeller, with smooth surfaces, glides in the material, producing therein a minimum of friction and, therefore, requiring a minimum of motor power, particularly when starting.

After starting, the material to be treated is ejected by centrifugal force out of the peripheral conduit extremities: new quantities of material are thereupon sucked into the collector center and repelled toward the conduits in which they are subjected to an acceleration which is a function of the rotation speed, the angle formed by the conduits with their tangent to the propeller edge and their length.

Even with 5 low rotation speed, with an appropriate propeller diameter, and long enough conduits, remarkably high ejection speeds are obtained. This results in a radial ejection of streaks of material from the conduits at high speeds. The material located above and under the disk is subjected to practically no acceleration because of the smooth outer shape of the propeller. Narrow streaks energetically ejected radially from the propeller produce friction and shearing actions in the ambiant material to the lateral side of the disk. This material is energetically attacked, stirred, mixed, dispersed and homogenized or propelled through the intervention of a motor propelling force which creates nearly exclusively energetic radial liquid streaks. Said liquid streaks start from the shaft center and are thus accelerated while sheltered from the ambiant media, but in the very midst of the latter, without being subjected to the disturbing swirls of the ambiant media capable of creating frictions which might disturb acceleration, and thus provide a high acceleration with a small motor power.

It is to be noted that a given propeller, rotating at a given speed, provided with a given number of conduits, is adjustable to a certain extent, in ejected volume and power absorbed by regulation of the number and size of the conduits.

According to an important characteristic of the present invention, the space or the inner volume of all conduits of one single row occupy a space or inner volume less than 33 percent of the space or volume generated by two planes essentially perpendicular to the motor shaft and positioned directly above and under said row of conduits, excluding the space or volume generated by the cylinder while the cylinder occupies a space or volume approximately equal to the space or volume of the said row of conduits. As an example, in an apparatus according to FIG. 1, with a diameter of 500 mm, conduits having a diameter of mm, and an entry collector having a diameter of 75mm, the inner volume of one single row of conduits is 7,5 percent approximately in relation to the volume occupied by the two planes essentially perpendicular to the motor shaft and positioned directly above and under said row of conduits.

container. In this case the aforementioned ratio is di minished in proportion to the reduction of the rotation speed.

When it is required to treat less fluid products, which are more viscous or pasty, the apparatus should be conditioned to operate with ratios close to the volumetric values indicated above while the propeller to container diameter ratio should be close to 1.5 or 1.2 at maximum while the rotation speed should be increased above 750 R.P.M. In this case the aforementioned ratio should be diminished in proportion to the increase of the rotation speed.

When rotating, the propeller provided with several plates, as, for example, in FIG. 10, sucks the material from the bottom, ejects it radially against ambient material present at the extremities of the conduits, and if desired projects the latter material with ejected material against the container wall. If the level of material to be treated is at the height of the upper disk, without adding or subtracting material, the latter circulates, tracing a circuit, somewhat ovoidal with multiple spirals, somewhat similar to the windings of electric motors.

When starting an operation, if the container is loaded up to the level of the upper-disk, the latter ejects the unmixed material, designated as neutral, against neutral material to form a primary mix.

At the start, every other disk operates similarly. However, as soon as the material ejected by the first disk travels downwards, for example, from a deflector down to the level of the second upper disk, the latter ejects neutral material against the primary material to form a mix designated as secondary. From this the downward movement of already ejected and mixed material, facing the peripheral edge of the disks, leads to production of more and more complex mixes.

Said materials, complexedly mixed, reach the bottom of the container and the entry. of the collector in which they are sucked up to be again ejected by the conduits.

Henceforth, each of the latter shall eject no more neutral material but material which has already been subjected to a number n of mixes, n representing the number of disks.

The material n times mixed and ejected by the upper disk forms a continuous liquid ring between the disk periphery and the container wall. Therefore any neutral material which should be located above the upper disk cannot penetrate into the mixing circuit until it has been subjected to the action of the aforesaid continuous liquid ring, n times mixed. f

If the starting hypothesis is modified, and one considers a container loaded up to the level of the upper disk but comprising an entry and exit movement of neutral material, it shall be noted that no fraction of neutral material may circulate from the entry towards the exit without being subjected, with certainty, to the mixing phases, except in the case when circulation of neutral material should be volume wise superior to volume deliverd by the disk conduits.

Other variants are also possible; For example it is possible to combine a rotating propeller operating as a rotor" with a fixed stator which may be a grid through which the material to be treated is forced.

Said stator may for example be constituted by milling bodies, sand or glass beads etc added to the material to be treated and in which it forms a mobile or semi-fixed stator which acts similarly to a fixed stator.

FIG. 10 illustrates a sectional view on a single plane of a double oval trajectory of an idle machine.

It will be understood that said double oval trajectory is formed of two single ovals connected through one of their branches. Each oval comprises two vertical branches of which one is located at the entry and the other at the outlet of the conduits which insure acceler- 311011.

We shall designate the branch located at the entry common central axis and the branch located at the exit of conduits outer branch."

Examination of the path material travelled in a single oval shows that in the common central axis material is subtracted from flow. Subtracted material is directed toward the conduits, i.e., deviated by approximately 90 from the axis, said subtracted material is subjected to acceleration in the conduits and thereafter ejected against the material of the outer branch at about 90, projecting the same towards the container wall while continuing its trajectory toward the bottom and the common central axis, where it is subjected to new subtractions.

When examining the trajectory of two ovals, they travel in opposite directions which assemble in a true common central axis at the junction point of their respective inner branches.

As all conduits operate simultaneously, the existing trajectories are actually a multitude of double ovals.

When considering the machine in rotation the created trajectories may be illustrated as the wires of an electric motor wiring system.

In operation, idle or rotating, the described apparatus execute a real treatment process such as heretofore, defined which may be executed by combining the aforementioned means in apparatus different from those already described and illustrated.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for propelling fluids comprising:

a. a rotatable propeller disposed within a container;

b. at least one rotatable motor shaft connected with said propeller;

c. said propeller including at least one entry collector, said entry collector being in the form of a hollow cylinder which is open at one end and closed at the other end, said cylinder being concentrically disposed with respect to said motor shaft;

d. a plurality of holes in said hollow cylinder, said holes being aligned in at least one row;

e. a plurality of conduits associated with said holes, said conduits being aligned in at least one row and being rotatable with said motor shaft;

f. a top plate and a bottom plate, said plates being disposed, respectively, above and below said row of conduits and being tangential thereto;

g. said plates extending from said entry collector to the outermost extremeties of said conduits;

b. said entry collector, outermost conduit extremities and top and bottom plates defining a sealed-off area;

i. the cumulative inner volumes of said conduits of one row being less than 33 percent of the volume of said sealed-off area, and;

j. the inner volume of said entry collector being approximately equal to the cumulative inner volumes of said conduits of said one row.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the entry collector opening is positioned at the bottom end of the cylinder forming the entry collector.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including two entry collectors, opened at the top and the bottom respectively, each collector comprising at least one row of conduits.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the space between the plates and conduits is solid.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the holes in the entry collector cylinder wall open at least partially outside the space or volume occupied by a plate, said conduits being formed on the plate face.

6. Apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the conduits are in the shape of pipes.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each conduit has an inlet section and an outlet section, said inlet section differing from said outlet section.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lengths of the conduits in one row are different from one another.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1 including, in one container, a plurality of propellers.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 including an injection nozzle to supply high speed fluid at the collector entry for applying motor power to the system.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein motor power is partially applied to the system by an endless screw at the collector entry. 

1. Apparatus for propelling fluids comprising: a. a rotatable propeller disposed within a container; b. at least one rotatable motor shaft connected with said propeller; c. said propeller including at least one entry collector, said entry collector being in the form of a hollow cylinder which is open at one end and closed at the other end, said cylinder being concentrically disposed with respect to said motor shaft; d. a plurality of holes in said hollow cylinder, said holes being aligned in at least one row; e. a plurality of conduits associated with said holes, said conduits being aligned in at least one row and beiNg rotatable with said motor shaft; f. a top plate and a bottom plate, said plates being disposed, respectively, above and below said row of conduits and being tangential thereto; g. said plates extending from said entry collector to the outermost extremeties of said conduits; h. said entry collector, outermost conduit extremities and top and bottom plates defining a sealed-off area; i. the cumulative inner volumes of said conduits of one row being less than 33 percent of the volume of said sealed-off area, and; j. the inner volume of said entry collector being approximately equal to the cumulative inner volumes of said conduits of said one row.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the entry collector opening is positioned at the bottom end of the cylinder forming the entry collector.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including two entry collectors, opened at the top and the bottom respectively, each collector comprising at least one row of conduits.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the space between the plates and conduits is solid.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the holes in the entry collector cylinder wall open at least partially outside the space or volume occupied by a plate, said conduits being formed on the plate face.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conduits are in the shape of pipes.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each conduit has an inlet section and an outlet section, said inlet section differing from said outlet section.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lengths of the conduits in one row are different from one another.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 1 including, in one container, a plurality of propellers.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 1 including an injection nozzle to supply high speed fluid at the collector entry for applying motor power to the system.
 11. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein motor power is partially applied to the system by an endless screw at the collector entry. 